The Lion's Roar

HRAC features local author, speaker

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Local author, hand radio operator and weekly newspaper columnist Kathryn Martin spoke at the recent Author’s Salon, which gives local authors the opportunity to discuss their current works and writing process.

The event was held Thursday, August 20 at the Hammond Regional Arts Center from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Martin described her former career at a Ponchatoula dental office and her fame as a religious speaker.

“Being introduced as a writer is still surprising,” said Martin.

Although she always loved writing as a child, she never thought she’d become an author. Martin took night classes with the American Dental Association and attended Southeastern to major in Spanish at 29 years old. She then earned her masters and bachelors degree in education. Her training in writing stems from the high expectations of writing teachers at Ponchatoula High School.

In her first speaking appearances, Martin charged very little for tickets. She was told by Minnie Pearl, who discovered her, she would not make much money that way. Martin stuck to her guns, hoping for a diverse audience but still upholding her personal morals.

She began giving inspirational speeches influenced by her religious background. Her now famous country vernacular speaking “Miz Maudie” character started out as a practical joke when she was in her thirties. Now, she advertises for shows as a team of two. Martin reveals that some ministries preferred for her to only speak as “Miz Maudie” and offered criticism regarding female writers. Audiences have experienced her personal and uplifting stories for 37 years in the United States and Canada.

Martin describes her biggest inspiration for her speeches and books as a “search for positivity.”

She enjoys giving the same positivity back to her audience and relieving them of some of their daily troubles. Her popular novel “Believe It or Not-Mama Likes the Nursing Home” began as a nursing home brochure for loved ones. However, it has turned into a nonfiction novel about her own mother who in a semi-comatose state became alive in a nursing home, even finding love again. Audiences laughed as Martin described her mom she was engaged.

Childhood friend and fan of the novel Eva Hebert was familiar with her Hammond and Ponchatoula newspaper articles. She describes Martin’s work as “sincere and natural.”

For more information on Martin, visit her website at www.mizmaudie.com.

The next Author’s Salon event will be led by Howard Nichols and Katie Wainwright on September 17.

Comments and other submissions are encouraged but are subject to The Lion's Roar Comments and Moderation Policy. All views expressed are those of the author and should not be interpreted as the views of The Lion's Roar, the administration, faculty, staff, or students of Southeastern Louisiana University.